Princess Caroline of Monaco

by Scott Mehl  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

 

Princess Caroline Louise Marguerite of Monaco was born January 23, 1957, at the Prince’s Palace, the eldest of the three children and the elder of the two daughters of Rainier II, Prince of Monaco and Grace Kelly.  Caroline was christened on March 5, 1957, at Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Monaco.  Her godparents were:

  • Margaret Davis, her maternal first cousin
  • Prince George Festetics de Tolna, grandson of Lady Mary Victoria Hamilton and her second husband Prince Tassilo Festetics de Tolna. Mary Victoria’s first husband was Prince Albert I of Monaco. They were the parents of Prince Louis II, Princess Caroline’s great-grandfather.

Caroline was titled the Hereditary Princess of Monaco from her birth until the birth of her brother Albert the following year.  From 2005, when her brother Albert succeeded to the throne of Monaco, until December 2014, when Albert’s twins Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques were born, Caroline was the heir presumptive to the throne of Monaco.

Caroline has two younger siblings:

Princess Caroline (center) with her parents and younger siblings photo source: Daily Mail

Princess Caroline (center) with her parents and younger siblings
photo source: Daily Mail

Caroline was raised in Monaco, attending school in France and England, after which she attended the Sorbonne in Paris, earning a degree in Philosophy with minors in Psychology and Biology. She also studied ballet and music in Monte Carlo.

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In May 1978, she married Philippe Junot, a Frenchman seventeen years her elder. The marriage ended in divorce in 1980. Having married in both civil and religious ceremonies, the Princess petitioned the Vatican for an annulment. After much wrangling back and forth, a formal annulment was finally granted by Pope John Paul II in 1992.

Princess Caroline is very active in charities and organizations in the Principality, and upon the sudden death of her mother in 1982, Caroline took on the role of First Lady of Monaco. She also assumed many of the patronages held by the late Princess Grace. Some of these organizations are the Guides of Monaco (now The Association of Guides and Scouts of Monaco), UNICEF, The Garden Club of Monaco, The Monte Carlo Arts Festival, The Prince-Pierre Foundation. In later years, she helped to establish the Monte Carlo Ballet, a cause that her mother had been championing for many years. She was also named Chairman of the Princess Grace Foundation in 1984, at the express wish of her father.

Caroline regularly attends important social events in Monaco related to the Monégasque Princely Family. Due to her commitment to philanthropy and arts, Caroline was named a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 2003.

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The christening of Pierre Casiraghi, the third child of Caroline and Stefano Casiraghi

In December 1983, Princess Caroline married Italian businessman Stefano Casiraghi in a civil ceremony held at the Prince’s Palace. Tragically, Stefano was killed in a speedboat accident in 1990 just off the coast of Monaco. The couple had three children:

 

In January 1999, on her birthday, Caroline married HRH Prince Ernst August of Hanover, becoming HRH The Princess of Hanover. Ernst August is the pretender to the throne of the former Kingdom of Hanover. While initially very happy, the couple now leads separate lives. Caroline and their daughter live primarily in Monte Carlo, while her husband remains at his homes in Germany.

The couple had one daughter:

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Princess Caroline with her daughter Princess Alexandra of Hanover, 2020

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